“Hmm… Your Excellency, that seems to be the path leading to the upper level.”

While pushing forward and clearing out the monsters, they soon arrived at a point where they could see the passage leading to the upper level at the edge of the shallows.

Did it take less than an hour?

They weren’t in a hurry to break through, yet considering they had taken down every monster they encountered, their pace was quite good.

“I see. Sera, do you sense any monsters around or deeper in the passage?”

“Hmm… Nothing at all.”

Looking around, there was nothing in sight.

Of course, the same went for the depths of the passage.

It wasn’t as if all the monsters on this floor had been eradicated, so there were still plenty of them remaining… but none seemed inclined to approach.

When stronger beings gather, the weaker ones don’t attack.

It had been the same during their first exploration.

Today, they were the only ones in the dungeon, and when a floor was vacant, the monsters behaved this way.

If more people were hunting in the area and there were no escape routes, they would try to merge with other groups… but today, they were simply fleeing.

“I see. In that case, let’s head over there as planned and then turn back.”

A short response came from the group at those words.

They could probably push further if they wanted, but since this expedition wasn’t meant for exploration or investigation, they had only planned to make one circuit around the shallows.

There was no need to change that plan.

“Monsters might respawn on the way back… but let’s take a short break before we head back.”

Upon reaching the entrance of the passage past the shallow forest, Liesel made that declaration.

◇

As Liesel had suggested, they were now resting with their backs against the wall in front of the passage. Previously, several felled trees had been arranged there.

It was likely adventurers had placed them for resting.

However, today, they had been removed, leaving everyone standing.

There was no way such an arrangement could have naturally disappeared, so someone must have cleared them out beforehand.

…Further down in the lower floors, there were also some makeshift rest areas. Were those left intact?

They wouldn’t be going that far, so it wasn’t their concern.

The forested area, which usually bore the traces of battle here and there, had also been cleaned up.

That, however, worsened visibility… On the first day of public access, people would need to be careful about that.

“Sera, what do you see?”

As usual, scouting during rest periods was Sera’s job, hovering above to keep an eye on the surroundings.

Since she remained seated on 【Floating Orb】 the entire time, there was no energy consumption to worry about.

Below, Alec called up to her.

Looking down, she saw the others checking their equipment.

It was almost time to depart.

“Hmm… There are some at the edges. They seem to be probing us, but they’re not getting any closer.”

The monsters behaved just as they had on the way in, keeping their distance.

However, their movement range was limited, and if they got too close, they would eventually attack.

Unlike the monsters outside, which would flee endlessly when escaping, these behaved differently.

“Your Excellency, may we handle the combat on the way back? The monsters don’t seem any different from those elsewhere, but we won’t know for sure until we actually fight them.”

Having finished preparing, Yusef made the request to Liesel.

After all, they hadn’t participated in combat up until now.

“Hmm… I see. What do you all think?”

“Yes. It would be good for them to experience fighting here firsthand.”

Liesel directed the question at Riana’s group, and August answered on their behalf.

“Understood. Then I’ll leave the return trip to you three. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, sir!”

It seemed Yusef’s team would be handling the combat on the way back.

A battle by the esteemed knights of the royal capital… They had seen them fight in group battles outside, but would dungeon battles be any different?

Liesel, once part of the central knights, likely fought in a similar style.

It was going to be interesting to watch.

◇

“Uooohhh!!”

“Haaah!!”

“Seiyaaa!!”

…They were loud.

Once it had been decided that Yusef’s group would handle the combat on the way back, they promptly set off.

Since the monsters near the passage had been defeated not long ago, they hadn’t respawned yet.

However, as they approached the entrance, monsters they had previously slain—or those that had fled—had seemingly circled back around, leading to more encounters.

Naturally, those monsters attacked, and the knights responded accordingly.

“Uooohhh!!”

It was incredibly loud.

And stiflingly intense.

Without any particular role division, all three wielded two-handed swords, cutting down monsters in single strokes.

They were undeniably strong and highly skilled, but…

They were just too damn noisy.

It felt like they were encountering more monsters than on the way in—was their shouting attracting them?

Some adventurers did shout to pump themselves up in battle, but…

All three of them? Against nothing particularly strong? That was overkill.

“Hey… those guys are obnoxiously loud. Is that normal?”

Their combat style was clearly different from adventurers.

Lowering her altitude, Sera asked the others.

“They train for battles against humans as well. Unlike monsters, fighting people requires an imposing presence. When commanding troops, their approach would be different, but for individual combat, that style might be more effective.”

Liesel answered with a wry smile.

“I see…”

Sera wasn’t sure whether she understood or not.

Just as she was tilting her head in thought, a loud voice rang out from ahead.

It seemed the battle had ended.

Well… As noisy as they were, they fought skillfully enough.

So, maybe this was fine?

◇

After several more battles, they safely returned from the dungeon.

In the hall, the second squad and warrior division were lined up, watching their return before swapping in to enter the dungeon.

Officially, they would now conduct an investigation before opening access.

It was a mere formality, but it meant they could now enter the dungeon freely, without having to worry about where they spoke or what they discussed.

That wasn’t a bad thing.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Cloak】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・15 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・28 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・8 cards